Are you a business leader, high achiever or someone who wants to improve their performance? We’re in the 2nd month of the year. How are you doing with your big visions, plans and goals? With the future of life and work upon us, we need to explore more innovative strategies for enhancing performance. If you’re already feeling stuck or looking for more support, check out the 10 reasons many people like you and I struggle to achieve our full potentials and the creative strategies for fixing these 10 productivity blocks.

Based on my daily interactions and research, one of these may sound like you:

  1. I can’t hold myself accountable.

If you can’t hold yourself accountable, find an accountability partner, join an accountability community or hire someone who can. Being held accountable is necessary for growth and development. I believe that’s why Bill Gates once said ” Everyone needs a coach”.

  1. I’m afraid of change.

Change isn’t comfortable. That’s the simple truth, but the possibilities on the other side of your comfort zone are worth taking a chance on. Let go of the crippling fear and focus on your vision and goals. One way to do that is to use mental models. I’ve taught several groups of Business Leaders about brain-design techniques for decision-making like the RMF (Regret Minimization Framework) that Jeff Bezos of Amazon used as a mental model to support his dream of quitting a secure job and starting what we know now as the global e-commerce giant.

  1. I have doubts.

Everyone, especially dreamers, have doubts but the doers discipline themselves to get past the doubts anyway. They understand that the pain of discipline is no where near the pain of regret. If you have dreams for your life and a bigger vision for your work or business, don’t give up on them. Get to work! Discipline is the antidote for Doubt!

  1. I have no tools for implementation.

Having productivity skills isn’t enough to accomplish your goals. Beyond techniques, you need tools. Tools allow for effective planning and tracking of progress. A productivity system is typically made up of tools that provide checks and balances and shorten your road to the goal. Like I mentioned in my last article, don’t just choose any productivity system, choose a good one. We’ve created an innovative Productivity System for you called The Life Harmony. It’s launching soon. See it here.

  1. I don’t know what kind of goals to set.

Lack of clarity leads to confusion and confusion is very costly. Before setting goals, you must have a framework. The framework is a basis for building your self-awareness which helps you clearly articulate your life’s purpose, principles and priorities. Setting goals without building a framework is like having a nice house with a very weak foundation. This is the reason many people still feel shaky and empty even after big accomplishments. Goals that don’t align with your core will not produce fulfillment even after you’ve achieved them. Remember that your life is made up of components that must be catered to. Don’t set work or business goals without setting goals for other areas of your life like your health, relationships, finance, etc. Think in terms of life harmony.

  1. I can’t stop procrastinating and multi tasking.

The fix for procrastination is not as easy as people think. Try productivity methods like mind-mapping, visualization, prioritizing, goal setting and time blocking. Also utilize productivity tools like vision boards, daily routines, schedules and planners. Many life coaches recommend vision boards as mindset enhancement tools for visualizing desired outcomes. The right mindset enhancement and planning tools can help you ward off procrastination and multi-tasking. Please understand this! You don’t need to multitask to be productive. Multitasking is not a good practice for your brain, and it doesn’t ultimately allow the best use of your time. It is a productivity misconception.

  1. I have analysis paralysis.

You need to be clear on your objectives, but before you do, you need to do some self-assessment and self-awareness work. Self-awareness empowers you to action. A heightened consciousness ensures the decisions you’re making align with the core of who you are and is in harmony with the different areas of your life. Once, you’ve gained that level of clarity, deploy your priority management and executive functioning skills and tools.

  1. I feel anxious and overwhelmed.

This is the number one complain from every high-achiever I’ve met. They have big plans and visions for their lives but get overwhelmed by the fact that their reality is nowhere near their vision. The cure for this block is daily planning and progress tracking. Reverse engineer your big vision by breaking it down into goals and further breaking the goals down into major and minor tasks. Stop trying to do more! Stay committed and consistent in doing the most important things. Build momentum from accomplishing those daily minor tasks and celebrate those seemingly little wins. You’ll be amazed at the cumulative results of consistent progress when you intentionally break free from the mental block of feeling that’s there’s always more to be done.

  1. Making decisions is hard for me.

I totally understand this one because I struggled with it. The Shark Daymond once recommended using a schedule for activities such as: calling family members. While some people may consider scheduling a call to their mom, impersonal, I recommend it too because it can aid decision making. Create patterns and programs with methods like routines and rituals. Note this! Productivity requires great negotiation and self-leadership skills. You’ll need to learn to say “No” to activities and habits that may encroach on your priorities and plans.

  1. My priorities are always altered.

Defining your purpose, setting your priorities and planning your activities are great for ensuring an improved performance. However, you must be prepared to wisely alter your priorities as unplanned events happen. Providence happens and can challenge our careful planning while presenting us with new possibilities. If you can’t change the circumstance, learn to quickly adjust and enjoy the process. Priorities are two-fold: Life priorities and daily priorities. Your life priorities are the top choices of your life that guide your life’s vision and long-term planning, such as placing family needs before work. Your daily priorities are the top choices that guide your daily activities, thoughts and habits such as your morning routine or 5 top daily to-dos.

Robert Schuller once said “write your daily priorities in pencil, not ink. Truth be told! An unexpected phone call or message can interrupt your day’s, week’s or month’s plans and cause you to re-prioritize.

 

Do any of the above reasons resonate with you?

Did I miss any productivity block you’re familiar with?

Please, let me know in the comments.

Beyond recommending what you should do, I have tools and resources to help you get past these blocks, so you can get ahead to the place of daily focus, freedom and fulfillment. Check out our premium Productivity System #thelifeharmony here

As your Organizing and Productivity Consultant and Coach, I can help you and your team through my coaching and consulting services.  Learn more and book my services via the link here

Cheers to Organizing, Productivity and Success!

 

Your Organizing and Productivity Buddy,

Jesmine